The Empty Tomb

In the cold gray of the early morning three
women wended their way through the darkened streets of Jerusalem. It
was the dawn of the first day of the week, but their hearts were heavy.
Their feet plodded slowly over the rough stones of the streets of
Jerusalem. The day preceding the Sabbath they had seen their hope in
Jesus of Nazareth crushed. They witnessed Him dying a cruel death by
crucifixion. It had been their hope that He would redeem Israel and
deliver them from their Roman oppressors; but now their dreams and
hopes lay in the darkened tomb.

In their hands they carried spices. As their last measure of
devotion they wanted to anoint the dead body of Jesus. Each of the
women had her own peculiar regard for Christ. Salome was the wife of
Zebedee (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40) and the mother of the apostles James
and John. With her was Mary of Clopas, the mother of James the Less,
another of the twelve disciples. Then there was Mary Magdalene, who had
been delivered from a horrible life of demon possession by the power of
Jesus. In another part of Jerusalem were other women having the same
purpose and the same mission, likewise finding their way to the tomb in
the dim light of the early morning.

Big Problem, No Apparent Solution

But they all had a problem. The tomb was sealed by a large stone.
Could they get the heavy stone away from the door of the tomb and gain
access in order to use the spices they were bringing? They did not know
the solution to their problem, but nevertheless they continued on their
way.

Unknown to the women, the garden where the tomb of Jesus was
situated was in great commotion. The guards who had been watching the
tomb of Jesus, as requested by the Jews to be sure that no one would
steal the body, suddenly were startled in the darkness of the morning
by a vision of angels descending to the tomb and rolling away the stone
that had sealed the tomb. They fled in terror at this evidence of the
supernatural power of God (Matt. 28:2-4).

When the women arrived at the tomb, all may have been quiet again,
but the stone had been rolled away, the seal had been broken (Mark
16:4; Luke 24:2; John 20:1). What did this mean? For Mary Magdalene it
could mean only one thing. Someone had stolen the body of Jesus.

Without waiting for further evidence, she fled the scene back to the
disciples to tell them the tragic news. The other women, however,
approached the tomb. There they saw an angel sitting at the right side
of the tomb, clothed in a long, white garment. "'Don't be alarmed,' he
said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He
has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him'" (*Mark
16:6). Shortly afterward other women including Joanna, the wife of
Chuza, the steward of Herod, also arrived at the tomb and were
apparently told the same good news (Luke 24:10).

But Mary had already reported to Peter and John that the tomb was
empty and that the body was stolen. John and Peter hastened to the
tomb. Upon arriving, Peter quickly entered the tomb and saw the
evidence that the body was gone. The grave clothes were still in the
form of a human body, and the napkin, which had been over the head, was
neatly folded in a place by itself. The silent testimony that Jesus was
risen from the dead did not seem to dawn upon him. He left believing
that the body was gone, but not knowing that Jesus was risen from the
grave.

A Second Look

By this time Mary Magdalene had come back to the tomb for the second time. She was

weeping. She was sure that someone had taken the body of her Lord.
Then she, too, looked into the tomb and saw two angels sitting, one at
the head and the other at the feet, where Jesus' body had been laid
(John 20:12). They asked why she was weeping, and she told them that
someone had taken away her Lord and she knew not where the body had
been placed (John 20:13). She no sooner had said this than turning back
she saw Jesus standing at the door of the tomb. But she did not
recognize Him. Jesus addressed the same question to her. "'Woman,' he
said, 'why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? — (John
20:15).

Mary through her tears still did not comprehend and thought she was
talking to one of the gardeners. She pled with Him, "Sir, if you have
carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him"
(John 20:15).

It's Jesus, and He's Alive!

Jesus said to her simply, "Mary." She turned immediately and said
unto Him, Rabboni!' (which means Teacher)" (John 20:16). Through her
tears she had not recognized Christ in His resurrection body, but it
was the same familiar voice, the same person. In her ecstasy she
literally embraced Him. Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, for I
have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell
them." He disappeared. Mary Magdalene lost no time in running back the
second time to tell the good news to the disciples, confirming what the
other women had also reported.

In these dramatic moments, never to be forgotten and preserved
forever in the Scriptures, is the record of Mary Magdalene seeing
Christ in His resurrection body. Embedded in the scriptural narratives
of the appearance of Christ to Mary is overwhelming proof that Christ
had risen from the grave. Appearances to the other women, to Peter, to
the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and to ten of the faithful
disciples that evening all add their weight to the scriptural proof
that Christ actually rose from the dead. In all, there were seventeen
appearances of Christ before His Ascension into heaven. Six further
appearances to Paul, Stephen, and John occurred at various times after
His Ascension.

Why Mary Magdalene?

Why did Jesus appear first to Mary Magdalene? Would it not have been
more fitting for Him to have appeared first to Peter or to John or to
His mother, Mary? Why was this obscure woman chosen for such a high
honor? The testimony of a woman wasn't even acceptable by the courts!

The answer is quite simple. Because that's the way it really
happened. Mary Magdalene was the first at the tomb in the early light
of that morning hour. She was the first to report that the body was
missing. She was the first to return to the tomb. She was the first to
seek eagerly where they had laid the body of Christ. It was only
natural that she should be the first to see the Lord whom she loved
more than life.

As Christians enter into the full significance of the resurrection
story, many lessons can be learned from Mary Magdalene. She needed no
proof that Christ was indeed the Son of God, for in her own body, in
her own spiritual experience, she had seen the marvelous transformation
from demonic control to the peace and rest of faith that she had found
in Jesus Christ. No confirming evidence was necessary that He was
indeed the Son of God.

What was important to her was that Jesus Christ had been delivered
from death and from the tomb, that He was now released to enter into
His glorious estate. Her sad heart was now glad. Her hope was now all
the more real that some day after He had ascended to the Father she,
too, would ascend at the coming of Christ for His own.

What about the Empty Tomb ... and You?

Years have passed since that cold, gray morn in Jerusalem. For many centuries students

of the doctrine of the Resurrection of Christ have pondered the
abundant historical evidence that Jesus indeed rose from the grave.
They had examined the empty tomb as the witness to the Resurrection of
Christ. They have traced the evidence that the disciples were willing
to die rather than renounce their faith in the Christ who died and rose
again. The disciples experienced a dramatic change from the
hopelessness of death to the triumph of resurrection. The Gospel which
they proclaimed bears witness of that transformation.

The power of the Spirit of God repeatedly manifests itself in the
book of Acts. It all stemmed from that resurrection power that raised
Christ from the dead. Even the day of Pentecost, with its record of the
descent of the Holy Spirit to indwell the church, was based upon the
certainty of the Resurrection. On that glad day, three thousand Jews,
having examined the empty tomb and listened to the evidence, took their
stand for faith in this risen Lord.

The young church developed and grew. It worshiped in a special way
on the first day of the week in recognition of the fact that this was
the day on which Christ had risen. The power of the gospel spread
throughout the world giving the final evidence that Christ was indeed
risen from the grave and that the power of His Resurrection was the
creative power of God transforming the lives of those who put their
trust in the Savior who died and rose again.

The epistles build upon the certainty of the Resurrection of Christ.
From this evidence we can be assured that if we as Christians die we
will rise again. More important in our modern day is the assurance that
if we believe that Christ died and rose again we also can believe that
He might come before we die, that we might be caught up to meet the
Lord in the air. "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
them also who believe in Jesus will God bring with Him" ( 1 Thess.
4:14). When this occurs, the Lord will descend from heaven with a
shout: the dead in Christ shall rise and those believers in Christ who
are alive and remain will be raptured, caught up to be with the Lord
forever.

The Power of the Empty Tomb

The transforming power of God that is manifest in the lives of those
who have put their trust in Christ is seen in that empty tomb, the
resurrected Christ Himself, and in the promises that are assured
because of His Resurrection.

Some day, perhaps very soon, other tombs will be empty. The church
will rise triumphantly to meet the Lord in the air, and those living
and remaining in earth who have trusted in Christ will be caught up to
meet Him and be forever with Him. The Resurrection to which the
Scriptures bear witness first revealed in the soft light of that early
resurrection morn, points to another resurrection which may be very
near as we look for the coming of our Lord.

John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. He is considered perhaps the world's foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy.John is perhaps best known for his bestselling work on Bible prophecy, Armageddon... More